Welcome to the website of the ZWU
The Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU)
Established in 2003, the ZWU is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research centre at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE), dedicated to innovative environmental research focussing primarily on biodiversity, the urban water cycle and water quality.
The ZWU coordinates the University´s key research area "water research" by pooling experience and resources of scientists and experts in water and environmental research from the UDE, the University Alliance Ruhr (UAR) and the region to improve interdisciplinary collaborations.
More about the key research area water researchCurrent activites and news
December 2021 Save the date - WRHC 2022
On June 21-22, 2022, the Water Research Horizon Conference (WRHC) on the topic: "Aquatic Ecosystems between Conservation and Exploitation" will take place in Essen, Germany.
In 2022, the WRHC will be organized by the Water Science Alliance and ZWU.
More information will follow soon!
November 2021 Microbes and viruses found in the Atacama Desert
Prof. A. Probst (Aquatic Microbial Ecology, UDE) and his international team have now discovered unicellular archaea in the Atacama Desert that have developed numerous resistances. For space exploration, he said, this finding is important. "The Atacama Desert is considered a Mars analog." If terrestrial life strikes the red planet unplanned, it probably spreads widely, as the viruses' dispersal patterns showed.
October 2021 MERLIN collaborative project gets 21 million euros EU funding
The MERLIN* collaborative project coordinated by Prof. Hering & Dr. Birk (Aquatische Ökologie, UDE) is funded by the EU with 21 million euros until 2025. MERLIN seeks new , widely applicable solutions for restoring the functions of freshwater ecosystems, for example to improve flood retention and store carbon dioxide.
More ZWU news
Find out more about the current activities and news from the ZWU network.
The key research area coordinated by the ZWU
One of the greatest challenges for the 21st century is to ensure the sustainable use of the global resource water. The key research area water research established by the University of Duisburg-Essen and headed by the Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU) is dedicated to adress the growing challenges.
The FutureWaterCampus
The FuturewaterCampus (FWC) promotes the development and expansion of research infrastructure in the fields of membrane, algae and photocatalysis research.
Current research projects
Explore our current projects and learn more about about our research.
German Society for Membrane Technology (DGMT) e.V.
The office of the German Society for Membrane Technology (DGMT) e.V. is located at the ZWU. For more information on the DGMT please visit the DGMT website.